Holloweene is not a source on anything Russian, if his past posting is any indicator.
He may have his sources and they may be saying things which can be a little hard to digest. But it is a fact that a scaled down RBE-2 for the Tejas Mk1A has been flown, and theoretically the IAF could ask for a variant of that radar to be integrated. Russia won’t like it for sure, and it cannot be done without extensive and deep Russian support. Which may scuttle such a deal and make a Russian AESA the only feasible option. But one cannot say that the IAF will not be interested in what could basically be RBE2 variants equipping its Rafale, Tejas and Super-30 fleets, allowing for commonality across the majority of its fleet.
Does anyone really expect them to tear out the primarily sensor, develop a new array to fit the dimensions and weights of the Su-30, and integrate it with the rest of the weapons suite (let alone form a 3rd party/nation)…..when NIIP is already developing an AESA for the Su-57?
A new array scaled up to the Su-30MKI from the Rafale can be done, just like it was scaled down to fit the Tejas Mk1A, with its power requirements, and test flown in what Thales claims, was 6 months. The integration with Russian weapons will be the trickier part, but again, can be done if push comes to shove. e.g. the R-73E was integrated with the Elta 2032/MMR on the Tejas with help from the Israelis (as per India’s CAG). And Russia can always be compensated for their costs in helping with any such integration with a non-Russian radar. Only question would be- would the extra effort and cost be worth it? Perhaps not, unless India is pushing its own indigenous AESA variant of the Uttam. And that doesn’t seem to be the case. So, a Su-57 AESA derivative would seemingly be one of the more logical radars for the Super-30, especially if the IAF is going to be acquiring Su-57s as FGFA. But that isn’t clear either.
As it is, one of the primary air to air weapon for the Su-30MKI and Super-30 will be the Astra Mk1 and Mk2 when it is ready, which doesn’t require Russian integration support with any non-Russian radar. Brahmos integration was developed, tested and certified, along with all the structural mods to the aircraft, indigenously after the Russian response was deemed to be too expensive.
And going ahead, with SAAW, the NGARM and other glide bombs, there are more and more indigenous weapons that will be integrated onto the MKI and the Super-30. So, whatever radar they get, the IAF will want source codes that will allow them to integrate weapons whenever required.
Also regarding funding costs, if anything a Super 30 AESA will be benefiting from Russian-funded N036 development. Development and serial production of GaN T/Rs for example is driven by the PAK-FA program. That is a far costlier investment than AESA antenna mating on the Bars for the Su-30.
Obviously India will not choose some paper AESA radar or one that isn’t somewhat mature at least, for the Super-30. That would be inviting trouble, facing teething issues and having to debug and fix issues on an immature radar. What was once a mature fighter fleet with its Bars radar, will after MLU end up becoming immature once again then. So if Russia is to persuade the IAF to go in for a Russian AESA, it has to be a somewhat ready to use solution.
Russia is already paying for the development of the N036, isn’t it? But is it going to pay anytime soon for integrating any N036 radar variant on the Su-30SM? Unlikely. Very likely that they’ll piggyback on the IAF’s Super-30 program for that, since the export customer will pay for the integration and testing of the N036 radar variant – if it is the chosen radar that is.
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